"First Age of the Sun" misconception

[Ar-Zigûr]

Originally Posted by Mithadan

Nor, if I recall, did Tolkien ever clearly define what was encompassed by the "First Age."

In the expanded edition of The Letters, there are these words in the Letter 131: "The History of the Eldar (Englished as ‘Elves’, but the pre-Shakespearian sense is intended), or Silmarillion proper. Nexus of legends, and stories in chronological order, into which some major tales are woven. Contains the ‘history’ of the First Age, from the coming of the Eldar to its end with overthrow of Morgoth-melkor, the first Dark Lord. Called The Silmarillion, because most of the history and tales are grouped about or refer to the Three Great Jewels of Fëanor (the Silmarils), their making, theft, the war for their recovery, and their final loss." I think Tolkien meant the Awakening of the Elves in VY 1050 by the phrase 'coming of the Eldar'.

[Huinesoron]

Originally Posted by Ar-Zigûr

In the expanded edition of The Letters, there are these words in the Letter 131: "The History of the Eldar (Englished as ‘Elves’, but the pre-Shakespearian sense is intended), or Silmarillion proper. Nexus of legends, and stories in chronological order, into which some major tales are woven. Contains the ‘history’ of the First Age, from the coming of the Eldar to its end with overthrow of Morgoth-melkor, the first Dark Lord. Called The Silmarillion, because most of the history and tales are grouped about or refer to the Three Great Jewels of Fëanor (the Silmarils), their making, theft, the war for their recovery, and their final loss." I think Tolkien meant the Awakening of the Elves in VY 1050 by the phrase 'coming of the Eldar'.

NoME 1.XIII agrees with this, baldly calling the year the Quendi awoke "First Age 1". Of course, NoME 1.VII refers to the same count as "Awakening Years" (AY), but by and large NoME calls the whole thing the First Age - and has it take place under the ancient Sun.

hS

[Arvegil145]

There's a ton of references from various sources to the First Age beginning with the Awakening of the Elves, and (I believe) only one or two references to the First Age beginning with the forming of Arda (I think? or else some other cosmically important event - I'm not sure which).

However, there isn't a single reference anywhere to the First Age being defined as starting from the first rising of the Sun (in the classical cosmology - i.e. flat world and such).



P.S. Welcome Ar-Zigur! I'm IvarTheBoneless from TG, good to have you here.

[Ar-Zigûr]

Originally Posted by Arvegil145

P.S. Welcome Ar-Zigur! I'm IvarTheBoneless from TG, good to have you here.

Hello!